My first skein of yarn

 I promised it way back in May. I told you a long story about getting rabbits and promised a post about making yarn. This is sort of that post. 

I'm not going to go into the details about spinning yet. The fact is, I'm still learning and I'm not very good at it. I can't really speak confidently about spinning. But I finally had enough fiber spun to make this little skein of yarn.

It is lumpy and not very good but I did spin it entirely by hand. How much is there and what gauge is it? I have no idea which makes coming up with a plan for it tricky. I'm open to suggestions.

Would you like a process video? Links to the supplies I use? Let me know in the comments.

Egg!

 This is just a quick note to say: the chickens are now laying! The little chicks that I bought this spring have reached the age where they now lay eggs. We celebrated with corn.

Chicken moving day!

 It's hard to believe it but the chicks have outgrown their home in the lawn mower box. Today we moved them out to the coop. And as we moved them I realized that any one of them would be too big to fit in the box that we carried them home in.

 

Pliny the Elder

 

Chirp Old Bean

 

Ducky Mo Mo

 

Kiwi

 

Milli

 

Vanilli

 

At home in their new coop space

New chicks!

 When I went to the local farm store to buy feed for my rabbits I found that pullets were on sale. So I bought 6 - 2 each of Buff Orpingtons, Black Australorps, and Jersey Giants. I'm in the process of naming them now. If you have any suggestions, please leave them in the comments. 

In standard Haphazard Homestead fashion, they are currently housed in a cardboard box (I think this one held a lawn mower). There's a random dowel threaded through the side to hold up the work light that is serving as a heat lamp.

A long winded story about my rabbits

 For a long time I have wanted goats. First it was fainting goats (I thought they were funny) but more recently I settled on pygoras, the world's cutest fiber goats. I had a plan. I had a recommendation for a reputable seller. It was happening. And then it all fell apart. No goats, no ideas where to look next. 

I was in limbo.

In the back of my mind, I had decided that maybe angora rabbits would be acceptable though they had a similar problem: I didn't know anyone who sold them. I spent a lot of time thinking about and planning for theoretical animals.

Then, out of the blue, I reconnected with an old friend, someone I haven't seen in well over a decade. We were catching up, comparing gardens and lives and she mentioned that she had rabbits. And not just standard farm rabbits - she has angoras. I lit up, asked all sorts of questions. And to my delight, not only did she have angoras, she had too many. They'd had a surprise litter and she was looking for someone interested in a pair.

And that is how we ended up with angora rabbits here on the homestead. They get groomed every week and I am learning how to spin - so expect a post about making yarn in the future.

 

Bees

 We started keeping bees two years ago. This is actually our second hive. Our first didn't make it through the winter. But this hive seems to be doing well. This is our setup.

The fencing is there mostly to keep pests out.

Chickens

 Here's a little tour of our chicken coop. It's not much to look at. One thing you might notice about it (and some of the other buildings we'll be touring in future) is that the windows and doors are perhaps not what you'd expect from sheds and other out-buildings. If it's something that my dad built, like this one, windows and doors were probably either salvaged from an older building or returns that he got at cost from his job at a lumberyard. We try not to waste anything.

We don't have a lot of chickens right now, just a handful of bantams. 

 

I think that speckled one is my favorite

 

Officially, they don't have names since my dad isn't a fan of naming farm animals and technically the banties are his. Personally, I think the rooster, in particular, needs a name. He's a pretty big personality. So if you have any suggestions I'm open to ideas. Feel free to suggest some in the comments.